Thinking About Unity 1
About Christian Unity
Part Two
By
Mark McGee
Thinking About Unity 2
Chapters
Introduction 3
Meeting C. Peter Wagner 5
NAR History 10
NAR in the 21st Century 58
NAR Timeline 93
NAR Statement of Faith 99
Personal Thoughts 104
Thinking About Unity 3
Introduction
The next Christian unity movement we’re going to look at is known as
the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). I’ve heard from many
Christians during the past several years who have expressed concern
about the NAR. What is it? Where did it come from? Who is involved?
What do they believe? Should I be concerned about people in our
church who are involved in the NAR? What impact could it have on
our church? What if our pastor wants to invite NAR apostles or
prophets to speak at our church?
Some of the people who have contacted me are pastors and church
leaders. Some have had people in their church read NAR books and
watch NAR television and videos and share those views with other
church members. Some leaders say they have had people in their
church claim to be NAR prophets who wanted their prophecies heard
and followed by the local church. Some of the leaders who shared
their experiences with me were perplexed about what they should do.
Would they be opposing God if they didn’t allow the prophets to be
heard and obeyed?
These are important questions about any unity movement and
especially for one as large as the New Apostolic Reformation. The
NAR claims hundreds of millions of Christians are affiliated with the
movement around the world and they plan to add hundreds of
millions more in the near future.
Thinking About Unity 4 The New Apostolic Reformation claims that God has instituted a
Second Apostolic Age with apostles and prophets similar to what the
Church had during the 1st Century AD. The first part of our series will
look at the evidence for a Second Apostolic Age from the teachings
and writings of apostles and prophets in the New Apostolic
Reformation movement. The second part of our series will look at
opposing views to Christianity being in a Second Apostolic Age.
Our objective in this series is to develop enough understanding about
the movement to answer three basic questions:
1. Is The Church Now In A Second Apostolic Age?
2. If The Church Is Now In A Second Apostolic Age, How Can
Christians Known Which Apostles And Prophets Are True And
Which Are False?
3. If The Church Is Not In A Second Apostolic Age, How Should
Christians Respond To Those Who Believe We Are?
Thinking About Unity 5
Meeting C. Peter Wagner
I met C. Peter Wagner at a Church Growth conference about 40
years ago. Many pastors had come together to learn more about
Wagner’s ideas for growing churches. At the time Wagner was
Professor of Church Growth at the Fuller Theological Seminary’s
School of World Missions. He worked closely with Donald McGavran,
thought by many to be the founder of church growth and the premier
missiologist of the 20th century.
McGavran, a graduate of Columbia University, Butler University, and
Yale Divinity School, began writing about church growth in 1936 and
wrote The Bridges of God in 1955, a book many believe launched the
modern church growth movement. McGavran established the Institute
of Church Growth in Eugene, Oregan in 1957 and started the School
of World Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary in 1965. Wagner
said he first studied with McGavran in 1967 and joined him at Fuller in
1971.
Wagner and McGavran had served as missionaries prior to their time
together at Fuller. Wagner served in Bolivia from 1956 to 1971.
McGavran was born in India to missionary parents and served as a
missionary there from 1923 to 1961.
McGavran wrote Understanding Church Growth (Wm. E. Eerdmans
Publishing) in 1970. Wagner later revised and edited the book (Third
Edition, 1990). It has been a classic in church growth circles and was
Thinking About Unity 6 one of the books we discussed during the conference I attended in
the 70s. Wagner wrote that McGavran was not satisfied with the
number of converts to Christianity from his many years of work on the
mission field in India –
“The conventional wisdom among missionaries was that India was
a resistant country and that they should not expect many
converts. But McGavran did not agree. It occurred to him that
obviously there was a way of doing missionary work so as to
produce few or no churches. But there must also be other ways of
doing missionary work that God would bless with the
establishment of many churches. At that time McGavran did not
now exactly how the methodologies of the two approaches
differed, but he determined to find out. As he declared in the
preface to a book he coauthored in the 1930s, he had dedicated
himself to ‘discarding theories of church growth which do not
work, and learning and practicing productive patterns which
actually disciple the people and increase the household of God.“
Preface to Third (1990) Edition of Understanding Church Growth
Wagner wrote that McGavran became alarmed when he saw that too
many of God’s resources—personnel and finances—were being used
without asking whether God’s kingdom was being advanced by the
programs they supported.
I remember many things about the Church Growth Institute I attended
40 years ago. One thing that is still very clear in my memory is
Wagner’s emphasis on the “homogeneous unit principle.” It struck me
Thinking About Unity 7 as different than what I understood the Gospel message to be, but
here was an expert in “church growth” telling us we should focus our
ministry efforts on people who were similar to us racially,
economically and socially.
“A corollary of the people movement theory is the homogeneous
unit principle. ‘People like to become Christians without crossing
racial, linguistic, or class barriers,’ said McGavran. Conversion, he
argued, should occur within a minimum of social dislocation. This
principle has become the most controversial of all church growth
principles because critics have interpreted it as classist or racist.
Nothing could be further from McGavran’s mind, however. As the
prototype of a world Christian, McGavran does not have a racist
bone in his body. The homogeneous unit principle is an attempt to
respect the dignity of individuals and allow their decisions for
Christ to be religious rather than social decisions. It is developed
in detail in McGavran’s magnum opus, Understanding Church
Growth.” Preface to Third (1990) Edition of Understanding Church
Growth
Those convictions of McGavran led him to start the Institute of
Church Growth at Northwest Christian College in Eugene, Oregon in
1961. He moved the institute to Fuller Seminary in 1965 and became
the founding dean of the Fuller School of World Mission and Institute
of Church Growth. Here are some of McGavran’s thoughts about
church growth in 1970 –
Thinking About Unity 8
“The theory and theology of mission is what is in dispute. As God
carries out his mission in the world and the church seeks to be
found ‘about his business,’ what should be done? What priorities
are correct? Among many good enterprises, which has
preeminence? Which should come first and which—if any have to
be—should be omitted? How is carrying out the will of God to be
measured? What has really been accomplished as the church has
spread on new ground? Considerations of anthropology,
sociology, theology, and organizations complexity pile up one on
the other. Never was a clear mission theory more needed than
today—a theory firmly rooted in biblical truth.” Preface to the First
(1970) Edition of Understanding Church Growth
I remember Wagner as being passionate about church growth. He
expressed a confidence in his theology and methodology for church
growth. The pastors I sat with at the conference shared a deep desire
to reach unsaved people for Christ and see their churches grow. That
conference would be just the beginning for many of us.
Another church growth leader I met during the 1970s was Dr. Win
Arn. He studied at Fuller Seminary under Dr. McGavran and founded
The Institute for American Church Growth in 1973. Arn and
McGavran worked together on a book project titled How to Grow a
Church: Conversations About Church Growth (Baker Publishing,
1973), another book we discussed at the conference. Billy Graham
wrote the foreward for the book. Dr. Arn also wrote Ten Steps for
Church Growth (1977, written with McGavran), The Pastor’s Church
Thinking About Unity 9 Growth Handbook (1979), Growth: A New Vision for the Sunday
School (1980, with Donald McGavran), Back to Basics in Church
Growth (1981), The Master’s Plan for Making Disciples (1982), Who
Cares About Love? (1988, with Carrol Nyquist), and Church Growth
Ratio Book (1990, with son Charles Arn).
Dr. Donald McGavran was the primary leader in the Church Growth
movement until his death in 1990. The mantle of leadership fell to C.
Peter Wagner, who emphasized the importance of prayer and
spiritual warfare until he retired from the McGavran Chair of Church
Growth at Fuller in 1999. That emphasis is an important part of the
history of the powerful and growing movement known as New
Apostolic Reformation (NAR).
Thinking About Unity 10
NAR History
Wagner wrote The Warfare Prayer: How To Seek God’s Power And
Protection In The Battle To Build His Kingdom in 1997. What he
wrote in the introduction to the book helps us understand his
motivation for what came next –
“Five years ago I could not have written this book. But around
1990 what seemed like a divine alarm went off, calling the Church
worldwide to serious spiritual warfare on a scale and intensity
previously unknown. At that time God put me on the fastest
learning curve I have experienced in 35 years of ministry. I feel
compelled to share what I am learning in this book. I believe that
through this book God can change you and your church, putting
you on the front lines of the greatest forward thrust of world
evangelization in 2,000 years of Christian history.” Introduction to
Warfare Prayer (Prayer Warrior), Regal Books, 1997
Using Wagner’s own historical recollection of 1990 as a key year for
his ministry, let’s look at the first decade of books that came from his
encounter with the ‘divine alarm.’ We will include the year, the title
and a brief description from the publisher (Regal Books, Baker Books
and others). The book list is important to see how Wagner’s theology
about church growth developed during that time as well as noting key
terms and concepts that became the foundation of the current NAR
movement and its view of “unity” in the Church.
Thinking About Unity 11
_____________________
1990 – Wrestling With Dark Angels: Toward a Deeper Understanding
of the Supernatural Forces in Spiritual Warfare
“As Christians, we are in the trenches of a violent war. It is more
real than our Western mindset has led us to believe. Since the
spirit world - where demons attack us daily - seems to us
somehow less real than the tangible, material world in which we
live, we think that it's nothing to fear. But this perception is
fearfully wrong. The frightening fact is that in trying to deny the
reality of the spirit world, we have made ourselves more
vulnerable than ever to the attacks of dark angels. In Wrestling
with Dark Angels, some of today's most respected theologians
offer their views on spiritual warfare and how the Christian can
deal effectively with its dangerous powers.” Publisher Description
1990 – Spiritual Power And Church Growth
No description from publisher available
1991 – Territorial Spirits: Insights Into Strategic Level Spiritual
Warfare & Intercession
“Are evil spirits assigned to geographical areas? The theme of
territorial assignment in the demonic kingdom is one rarely
touched upon by theologians, making this book unique in the
study of spiritual warfare. The book has been edited by C. Peter
Thinking About Unity 12
Wagner, one of the most highly respected of all teachers in this
area, and contains contributions from many key church leaders.
None of the contributors lay claim to being the final authority on
the topics covered but offer their theories and insights regarding
spiritual warfare for the reader's consideration. As well as
discussing the theoretical principles involved, the book also
records the experiences and discoveries made by practitioners of
strategic spiritual warfare.” Publisher Description
1992 – Prayer Shield: How to Intercede for Pastors, Christian
Leaders, and Others on the Spirit Frontlines (The Prayer Warrior
Series)
“Right now, someone you know is in desperate need of your
prayers. It's the person out on the front line, leading God's army
into the world to proclaim His good news. Pastors, teachers, and
all types of leaders are under severe attack from the enemy. And
they're depending on the prayers of those who care to help see
them through. The enemy knows where our leaders are
vulnerable, and he strikes at their weakest points. But the greater
power is on our side. Through intercessory prayer you can
reinforce your leaders with God's strength and protection.”
Publisher Description
Thinking About Unity 13
1992 – How to Have a Healing Ministry in Any Church
No description from publisher available
1993 – Breaking strongholds in your city: How to use spiritual
mapping to make your prayers more strategic, effective, and targeted
(The Prayer warrior series)
“Action prayer can change your church, your community, and your
life. When churches come together in prayer we see amazing
things happen--things that most of us would have thought
impossible just a couple of decades ago. The Soviet Union has
disintegrated and the Berlin Wall has been destroyed. God has
torn open the Iron Curtain, allowing the Gospel to pour into that
starving land. On every continent it is plain to see that God is
doing might things in response to prayer. Perhaps even more
amazing are the results of prayer that growing numbers of people
are seeing in their own lives. More and more, around the world,
people are praying with the expectation that God will hear and
answer their prayers. And this kind of effective prayer is available
to you.” Publisher Description
1995 – Lighting the World: Acts 9-15 (Acts of the Holy Spirit)
“In Lighting the World, C. Peter Wagner demonstrates the
powerful plans for action that Acts lays out for Christians. In
addition to commentary, Wagner includes stories of current acts
Thinking About Unity 14
of the Holy Spirit from mission fields around the world.” Publisher
Description
1995 – Blazing the Way (Acts of the Holy Spirit)
“A phenomenon that seems to lend special urgency to a new
commentary of this nature is the veritable explosion of knowledge
in the fields of missiology and power ministries over the last two
decades or so. As late as 1970, missiology was not recognized as
an academic field in the United States. It is now well established.
In the 1980s, controversies were raging around the validity of
power ministries such as signs and wonders, demonic deliverance
and spiritual warfare. In some circles debate continues, but it has
cooled down considerably. Prior to 1980, however, supernatural
power was hardly a chief topic of discussion among those of us
who were not Pentecostals or charismatics. At this writing,
however, we are offering five courses on various aspects of power
ministries at Fuller Seminary where I teach, and other seminaries
are following suit. It is not surprising, therefore, that our classic
commentators of the past would not have dealt with these rapidly
expanding areas in the depth it is possible to do today.” C. Peter
Wagner, Introduction
[Wagner wrote the book Signs & Wonders Today: The Story of Fuller
Theological Seminary’s Remarkable Course on Spiritual Power in
1987 and The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit: Encountering the Power
of Signs and Wonders Today in 1988]
Thinking About Unity 15
1995 – Engaging the Enemy: How to Fight and Defeat Territorial
Spirits
“Right now, in this world, Satan's forces are waging war against
Christians and the kingdom of God, an the authors of this book
explain through both Scripture and personal experience, part of
Satan's battle plan is assigning demons from his ranks.” Publisher
Description
1996 – Confronting the Powers: How the New Testament Church
Experienced the Power of Strategic-Level Spiritual Warfare (The
Prayer Warrior Series)
No description from publisher available
1996 – The Healthy Church
“Why is it that some churches have survived hundreds of years
while others are struck down in the "prime of the lives"? Dr. C.
Peter Wagner (professor of church growth at Fuller Theological
Seminary, School of World Mission, Pasadena, California)
answers this question by examining nine spiritual 'diseases" that
can attack any church. Here is a model of the diagnosis and
prescription that you can follow to restore the rosy glow of vitality
to your congregation, whether it is feeling the effects of old age or
has had its growth stunted from an unbalanced diet. The Healthy
Church tackles the problems of "Ethnikitis" (a static church in a
Thinking About Unity 16
changing neighborhood); "Ghost Town" syndrome (a deteriorating
community); "People Blindness" (cultural differences existing
between groups of people living in geographical proximity to one
another); "Hyper-Cooperativism" (when interdenominational unity
hinders evangelism); "Koinonitis" (spiritual navel-gazing);
"Sociological Strangulation" (the flow of people into a church
exceeding the capacity of the facilities to accommodate their
numbers); "Arrested Spiritual Development" (people in the church
are not growing in the things of God or in their relationships with
one another); "St. John's Syndrome" (Christians in name only);
and "Hypopneumia" (a subnormal level of the presence and
power of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of the church). The
Healthy Church is fascinating, informative, and a wealth of good
information to counteract these maladies. -- Midwest Book
Review”
[Wagner wrote Your church can be healthy as part of the Creative
Leadership Series in 1979]
1997 – Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow
“Identifies and discusses 27 spiritual gifts. Tells you how to find
your gift and outlines how you can use gifts effectively. There are
five steps to help you use your spiritual gifts to build God's
kingdom.” Publisher Description
Thinking About Unity 17
1997 – Warfare Prayer (Prayer Warrior)
“When Satan and his troops interfere with God's work here on
earth, you know it's time to take action. But how can you do it?
The answer is prayer. Satan's forces are doing whatever they can
to keep us from reaching the lost with the good news of Jesus
Christ. But God has given us power over the forces of darkness---
when we come to Him in committed, sincere prayer. In this book,
you'll find that using prayer as a weapon is only meaningful as it
makes us more effective in reaching the lost. You'll learn what it
takes to step out against the demonic realm cautiously and wisely,
as an informed and prepared warrior.” Publisher Description
1997 – Churches That Pray
“Churches That Pray’ gives you concrete examples of the way
God is answering fervent "action prayer" in every corner of the
planet. It also gives you practical steps to take so that you can
use "action prayer" in your church and in your community.”
Publisher Description
1997 – Breaking Strongholds in Your City (Prayer Warriors)
“Take a moment to look around your community--the parks, the
malls, they key points of interest. Look at the downtown, the
uptown, the back alleys and across the tracks. What are the
institutions that dominate the life of your city? Do they glorify
God? Or is your city infiltrated by pockets of idolatry and
Thinking About Unity 18
corruption? You can bring light to the darkest parts of your
community by breaking down the enemy's strongholds through
prayer. Finding solid information will ensure that your prayer is on-
target and much more effective. This book shows you how to
identify the enemy's territory in your area, and provides practical
steps on how to pray against these dark strongholds---making it
perfect for pastors, church leaders and intercessors on each level.
Whether you are being called to frontline warfare or behind-the-
scenes prayer support, discover how you can target your prayers
to God's glory in your neighborhood.” Publisher Description
1997 – Praying With Power: How to Pray Effectively and Hear Clearly
from God (Prayer Warrior Series, No 6)
“The groundbreaking Prayer Warrior Series culminates with C.
Peter Wagner's most personal insights yet into the dynamics of
prayer and spiritual warfare. Wagner provides steps for deepening
and strengthening your own prayer life.” Publisher Description
1998 – The New Apostolic Churches
“My third season of research is now focusing on the New
Apostolic Reformation, the subject of this book. I am very excited
because the new apostolic churches, better than any I have
previously studied, combine, on the highest level, solid technical
principles of church growth with solid spiritual principles of church
growth.” C. Peter Wagner, Chapter 1
Thinking About Unity 19
1998 – Confronting The Queen of Heaven
“Confronting The Queen Of Heaven" takes a look at what is
perhaps one of the most powerful spirits in Satan's hierarchy - the
Queen of Heaven. In this book, C. Peter Wagner shows both the
history and the adaptations that this spirit takes in today's world,
and then reveals what we as Christians can do to play a part in
confronting the Queen of Heaven and in proclaiming Jesus Christ
as Lord.” Publisher Description
1998 – The Rising Revival: What the Spirit is Saying Through the
Argentine Revival
No description from publisher available
1999 – Churchquake: How the New Apostolic Reformation is Shaking
Up the Church As We Know It
“Best-selling author and church growth expert C. Peter Wagner
writes about a revolution taking place in the Church-an
extraordinary work of God that is changing the shape of
Christianity around the world. The New Apostolic Reformation is a
grassroots phenomenon in which God is raising up alliances of
non-denominational churches and leaders worldwide to help fulfill
the last awesome push for the Great Commission. Wagner
identifies and examines present-day apostolic church networks
that are bound together not by doctrine or tradition, but by shared
Thinking About Unity 20
passion for local and worldwide evangelism, energetic worship,
fervent prayer and church planting.” Publisher Description
2000 – Apostles and Prophets: The Foundation of the Church
“Jesus revealed Himself to be the cornerstone of the church. But
He has built His church, and continues to build it, through apostles
and prophets, people who are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Now
a leader of the New Apostolic Reformation gives us new insights
into how the people called to crucial roles in the church--apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastor and teachers--must work together to
fulfill their divine purpose. For the first time since the Early
Church, God is harnessing apostles and prophets to fulfill the
promises of His divine plan. Prepare to play your part!” Publisher
Description
Thinking About Unity 21
Key NAR Terms
Here are some of the key terms and concepts that Peter Wagner
taught prior to the beginning of the 21st century that were foundational
to the rise of the New Apostolic Reformation –
New Apostolic Reformation
Apostles and Prophets
Third Wave
Warfare Prayer
Prayer Shield
Strategic Level Spiritual Warfare & Intercession
Breaking Strongholds
Confronting the Powers
Territorial Spirits
Spiritual Mapping
Healthy Church
Thinking About Unity 22
Fuller Seminary Influence
Wagner taught a course at Fuller about miraculous signs and
wonders with John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard movement.
Wimber trained in Biblical Studies at Azusa Pacific College and
became co-pastor of the Yorba Linda Friends Church (Quakers). He
joined with Peter Wagner in creating the Charles E. Fuller Institute
(Church Growth) in 1974. Wimber became convinced that miracles
would always serve to validate the preaching of the Word, so he and
other charismatics in the church joined with Chuck Smith’s Calvary
Chapel in 1977 to plant Calvary Chapel of Yorba Linda. He joined
with Kenn Gulliksen with Vineyard Churches to organize “The
Association of Vineyard Churches” in 1982. A published history of
Vineyard Churches shares the impact Fuller Seminary played in
Wimber’s work –
“John Wimber’s influence profoundly shaped the theology and
practice of Vineyard churches from their earliest days until his
death in November, 1997. When John was conscripted by God he
was, in the words of Christianity Today, a "beer-guzzling, drug-
abusing pop musician, who was converted at the age of 29 while
chain-smoking his way through a Quaker-led Bible study"
(Christianity Today, editorial, Feb. 9 1998).
In John's first decade as a Christian he led hundreds of people to
Christ. By 1970 he was leading 11 Bible studies that involved
more than 500 people. John became so fruitful as an evangelical
Thinking About Unity 23
pastor he was asked to lead the Charles E. Fuller Institute of
Evangelism and Church Growth. He also later became an adjunct
instructor at Fuller Theological Seminary where his classes set
attendance records. In 1977, John re-entered pastoral ministry to
plant Calvary Chapel of Yorba Linda.
Throughout this time, John's conservative evangelical paradigm
for understanding the ministry of the church began to grow.
George Eldon Ladd's theological writings on the kingdom of God
convinced John intellectually that all the biblical gifts of the Holy
Spirit should be active in the church.”
Encounters with Fuller missiologists Donald McGavaran and C.
Peter Wagner and seasoned missionaries and international
students gave him credible evidence for combining evangelism
with healing and prophecy. As he became more convinced of
God's desire to be active in the world through all the biblical gifts
of the Spirit, John began to teach and train his church to imitate
Jesus' full-orbed kingdom ministry. He began to "do the stuff" of
the Bible, about which he had formerly only read.
As John and his congregation, mostly made up of former
Quakers, sought God in intimate worship, they experienced
empowerment by the Holy Spirit, significant renewal in the gifts
and conversion growth. It soon became clear that the church's
emphasis on the experience of the Holy Spirit was not shared by
some leaders in the Calvary Chapel movement. In 1982, John's
Thinking About Unity 24
church left Calvary Chapel and joined the Vineyard churches.”
www.vineyardusa.org/site/about/vineyard-history
It’s important to keep the 1974 date in mind as we move forward. It is
evidence to demonstrate how early “signs and wonders” played a role
in Wagner’s church growth theology. I attended his Church Growth
conference a few years later and don’t remember hearing him
mentioning signs and wonders, so he may have not have been
sharing that outside Fuller yet or may have chosen not to share about
signs and wonders at the conference I attended.
Fuller Theological Seminary’s Office of Continuing Education in
Ministry and Global Harvest Ministries (Peter Wagner founded Global
Harvest Ministries in 1993) sponsored the National Symposium on
the Postdenominational Church in May of 1996 –
“This symposium is the first of its kind. Never before have so
many postdenominational leaders, including apostles and
prophets, from such a diverse number of groups gathered
together to share with and pray for each other. You will have an
inside track in understanding the spiritual motor which is driving
this massive movement: C. Peter Wagner, Brochure
Wagner addressed the issue of “postdenominationalism” in the
Foreward to David Cannistraci’s 1998 book Apostles And The
Emerging Apostolic Movement (Gospel Light Publications) –
Thinking About Unity 25
“My studies of church growth have led me to an inexorable
conclusion: The ‘fastest-growing identifiable segment of
Christianity in the 1990s on five continents is what has come to be
called the Postdenominational Movement. Inherent in today’s
postdenominational churches is a structure commonly known as
‘apostolic networks,’ in which both the gift and office of apostle are
recognized and accepted … David Cannistraci, a key figure in the
Postdenominational Movement, is a person of giftedness, wisdom
and experience beyond his years. He is one of those rare people
who is seen simultaneously as a scholar and a practitioner. Not
only does Dr. Cannistraci develop theories, but he also makes
sure his theories have gone through hands-on experimentation
before he advocates them. I will require my Fuller Seminary
students to read and digest this book.” C. Peter Wagner, Fuller
Theological Seminary
“The present wave of the Apostolic Spirit already dwarfs anything
the apostles could have seen or imagined in the first apostolic
movement. It seems we are entering into a visitation of greater
proportion than Pentecost, and it is exactly as Joel said it would
be (see Joel 2:28,29). The Holy Spirit is crashing into history
again, only this time He is coming upon our generation!
This wave will reactivate true apostolic ministry for the harvest.
Because the Spirit is being poured out, and because He is an
Apostolic Spirit, apostles and an apostolic movement must result.”
David Cannistraci, Chapter 1
Thinking About Unity 26
In light of Wagner using the term “postdenominational” in the 1996
symposium, what role does “denominationalism” play in the New
Apostolic Reformation? Elmer Towns of Liberty University wrote the
Foreward for Wagner’s 1998 book The New Apostolic Churches and
addressed that –
“Most old denominations were formed by doctrinal distinctives.
Some old denominations were born when they split because of
doctrinal technicalities; others were founded on new doctrinal
allegiances. The old denominations were allied to Calvinistic or
Armenian or dispensational or Pentecostal or Wesleyan doctrines
or some unique interpretation of Scripture. The new
denominations are really movements or, to describe them in
postmodern business terminology, they are like franchises. They
are Willow Creek Associates, Calvary Chapels, Vineyard
Fellowships or other names that describe a new movement for
God in the postmodern world of new challenges. C. Peter Wagner
once called this new movement ‘Postdenominational churches,’
but the term was rejected because some thought it linked to past
failure, or even worse, implied that some effective evangelical
denominations were not in fact effective. So Wagner changed the
title to ‘The New Apostolic Reformation.’ This book is about
change, thus many readers may not like it because they do not
want to change anything. Do not close your mind; read it carefully
to see what is changed. These churches are not changing the
essentials of Bible doctrine. They are as committed to the
Thinking About Unity 27
fundamentals of the faith as the originators of past conservative
denominations were committed to the essentials of Christianity.
They are merely changing the methods of evangelism, worship,
Bible study and leadership.” The New Apostolic Churches,
Foreward written by Elmer Towns.
Wagner wrote The New Apostolic Churches with 18 other church
leaders –
“I have never been more excited about a book dealing with church
growth than I am about this one, The New Apostolic Churches.
Because I suggested to the other 18 authors that they begin their
chapters with personal testimonies of how God has brought them
to the places where they are now, I will follow suit.” C. Peter
Wagner, Chapter 1
Here are the church leaders who helped write The New Apostolic
Churches –
Dr. Elmer Towns, Liberty University, Foreward
Apostle John P. Kelly, Overseeing Apostle, Antioch Churches and
Ministries
Apostle John Eckhardt, Pastor and Overseer, Crusaders
Ministries
Pastor Michael P. Fletcher, Manna Church
Thinking About Unity 28
Pastor Bill Hybels, Willow Creek Community Church
Bishop Wellington Boone, First International Church of Atlanta
Lary Kreider, International Director, DOVE Christian Fellowship
International
Pastor Roberts Liardon, President, Roberts Liardon Ministries
Rice Broocks, President, Cofounder of Christian International
Ministries
Bishop Bill Hamon, Cofounder of Christian International Ministries
Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty, Founder of Victory Christian Center
Pastor Dick Iverson, Chairman of Ministers Fellowship
International
Pastor Ralph Moore, Hope Chapel Foursquare Church
Dr. David [Kwang Shin] Kim, Senior Pastor, Grace Korean Church
Pastor Lawrence Khong, Faith Community Baptist Church,
Singapore
Pastor Paul Daniel, President and Founder of His People
Christian Ministries, Cape Town, South Africa
William F. Kumuyi, General Superintendent, Pastor, Deeper Life
Bible Church, Gbagada, Lagos, Nigeria
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Dr. Joseph C. Wongsak, Pastor, Hope of Bangkok Church,
Bangkok, Thailand
Most Christians are familiar with the titles of Reverend, Pastor,
Bishop, Evangelist, Doctor, President, Founder, Superintendent,
Chairman .. but Apostle? Peter Wagner briefly defined an ‘Apostle’
this way –
“Christian leader who is gifted, taught, and commissioned by God
with the authority to establish the foundational government of the
Church within an assigned sphere of ministry by hearing what the
Spirit is saying to the churches and by setting things in order
accordingly for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.”
Quoted by the International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders
(www.icaleaders.com)
Soon after writing a chapter for Wagner’s 1998 book, John P. Kelly,
identified as “Overseeing Apostle, Antioch Churches and Ministries,”
helped start The International Coalition of Apostolic Leaders (ICAL) in
Singapore in 1999. Kelly was asked to assume leadership as
Presiding Apostle for the new coalition and establish an office in Fort
Worth, Texas. The first annual meeting was held in Dallas in 2000.
Kelly asked Peter Wagner to accept the position of Convening
Apostle and ICAL moved into the offices of Global Harvest in
Colorado Springs where Wagner lived. Kelly served ICAL as the
Ambassadorial Apostle. Wagner asked Kelly to accept the position of
International Convening Apostle over ICAL in 2009 and the
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headquarters returned to Fort Worth in 2010. Wagner became the
Presiding Apostle Emeritus of ICAL. Kelly identifies ICAL as “the
largest known Christian society of God-ordained and man-recognized
apostolic leaders in the world” (www.johnkelly.org/about.html).
The basic structure of ICAL is that it is “apostolically led and
prophetically influenced” (www.icaleaders.com). According to ICAL,
apostles operate in several different ways, including “vertical
apostles” (ecclesiastical, functional, congregational, and team-
member vertical apostles), “horizontal apostles” (including convening,
ambassadorial, mobilizing, and territorial horizontal apostles), and
different kinds of “marketplace apostles.”
ICAL presents itself as “a primarily professional society” in which
confirmed apostles connect with other confirmed apostles. It is also a
training ground for “emerging” apostles. ICAL also “provides apostolic
accountability.”
Membership in ICAL is by official invitation “only” from the Convening
Apostle. It includes a nomination process and application approval.
Apostles pay an annual membership fee of several hundred dollars
and are invited to attend annual meetings and summits. [More about
those meetings later in this chapter.]
Here are two books Kelly has written. As you look at the titles of
Kelly’s, keep in mind that he is writing from the position of being the
International Convening Apostle of ICAL. The impact of what that
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means in the NAR movement will become clear as we proceed with
our investigation. Also, watch for key terms and concepts important to
understanding NAR –
Power To Get Wealth (Palm Tree Productions, 2008)
“The prophets have declared that this is the time for wealth to
transfer into God’s Kingdom. But how will it happen? Who will
God use to acquire the wealth? Power to Get Wealth addresses
the important questions of God’s prosperity plan and who will
succeed in fulfilling his mandate and covenant. This book
presents practical understanding and application to help
Christians advance as WEALTHBUILDERS(sm) and become
WEALTHDISTRIBUTORS(sm). Start your journey here to become
one of God s wise financial stewards!”
Travailing Intercession (House of Ariel Gate, 2015)
“Prayer is learning the terms of spiritual engagement. Travailing
intercession is a high level of protocol that belongs to strategists
who want to see the Kingdom come to Earth as it is in Heaven.
Many people have misunderstood, misinterpreted and simply ‘not
got it’ up to now. This book is a simple, logical and scriptural
explanation of what it means to groan in the spirit and how
powerful that really is. This book will take your prayer life to a new
dimension!”
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Another man identified by Wagner as an “Apostle” is John Eckhardt.
In addition to heading up John Eckhardt Ministries and Crusaders
Ministries, he is also the author of many books that are viewed by
many to be the revelations of an Apostle of Jesus Christ.
Ministry Anointing of the Prophet (Crusaders Publications, 1991)
"What is the purpose of prophets? Why were they given to the
Body of Christ? What is their function? What do they do? As
Myles Munroe has often stated, if you do not know the purpose of
a thing, you will abuse it.
Many prophets have suffered abuse in the body because their
purpose and function was not known. They have often suffered
rejection and hurt because of ignorance. In this book you will find
revelation concerning the function of prophets. Besides
edification, exhortation and comfort, prophets can also establish,
reveal, impart, activate and confirm. We need to receive and
honor prophets. The more we know the function and importance
of prophets the more we will benefit from their ministries."
Publisher Description
Releasing God’s Power Through Laying on Hands (Crusaders
Publications, 1992)
“God has set up an authority structure in His kingdom, and He
operates through and honors this authority. When you submit to
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proper spiritual authority, God's power and blessing can be
released on your behalf through laying on of hands.
Your understanding will be increased and your inner man
refreshed as the wisdom and insight shared on this biblically
sound doctrine unfolds in its fullness. Once local churches receive
the revelation of laying on of hands and practice this doctrine, we
will see a greater manifestation of God's power through His
people.” Publisher Description
Deliverance and Spiritual Warfare Manual (Charisma House, 1993)
“This 54 page spiritual warfare manual is packed full of
information. It is written in a unique way using explanation of
terms by alphabetical order. Each term is defined with additional
information and scriptural references. This manual would
definitely be useful to pastors, church leaders, home group
fellowships and bible studies, as well as by multitudes of Christian
laymen involved in deliverance and self deliverance.” Publisher
Description
50 truths concerning apostolic ministry (Crusaders Ministries, 1994)
“Apostolic ministry is ordained by God. Regardless of what men
think or believe, this ministry has been ordained by God’s
appointment. Apostolic ministry is fruitful because it is chosen and
ordained of God (John 15:16). Any ministry set and ordained by
the Lord will be fruitful in spite of opposition or misunderstanding.
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Apostles are set IN THE CHURCH. As long as there is ‘a Church,’
apostles will be a part. The Scripture does not say God set them
only in the ‘EARLY CHURCH’ or the ‘CHURCH OF THE BOOK
OF ACTS’ but ‘THE CHURCH’. This includes the present day
Church ... Because of tradition many would rather call someone a
‘reverend’, a ‘doctor’, a ‘superintendent’, or a ‘bishop’; but very
seldom an APOSTLE. Many have ignored, avoided and attacked
the office of the apostle. But God is restoring this ministry to the
Church, and giving us a revelation or its purpose and function.”
John Eckhardt
Some of the “truths” about apostolic ministry that Eckhardt claimed
and taught in 1994 were –
Apostolic Ministry is First in Time
Apostolic Ministry is First in Rank
Apostles Have a Breakthrough Anointing
Apostles are Here Today
Apostles Establish and Set Doctrine
Apostolic Doctrine Comes From Heaven
Apostles Bring Revelation to the Church
Apostolic Revelation is the Foundation Upon Which the Church
is Built
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Apostles Lay Foundation
Apostles Bind and Loose
Apostles are Given Authority for Edification
Apostles Impart Spiritual Gifts
Apostles Pull Down Strongholds
Apostles Make Intercession for the Saints
Apostolic Ministry is One of Sings and Wonders
Apostolic Ministry Touches Cities and Regions
Apostles are Reformers
Moving in the Apostolic: God’s plan to lead His Church to the final
victory (Chosen Books, 1999, written with C. Peter Wagner, reviews
by Pastor Mary Crum, Pastor Ted Haggard, Apostle Ivory Hopkins,
Apostle John Kelly, Prophetess Cindy Jacobs, Apostle Ernest
Leonard, Apostle Noel Woodroffe, Pastor Dutch Sheets, Bishop
Harold Ray)
“To be an apostle, or to be apostolic, revolves around the concept
of being sent. Only sent ones can fulfill the Great Commission.
Only sent ones will be able to overcome the impossible odds that
stand in the way of being able to say, ‘Mission accomplished.’ The
Church cannot succeed without operating strongly in this
dimension.
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There are several premises I want to put forth concerning this
commission:
1. The Church has been given a commission.
2. This commission is an apostolic commission.
3. This commission must and will be fulfilled.
4. Since the commission is apostolic, it will take an apostolic
anointing to fulfill it.
What does it mean to be apostolic? Can we all be apostolic? What
part do apostles have in fulfilling the Great Commission? When do
we receive and operate in an apostolic anointing? How is the
Church affected by apostolic ministry? These are some of the
questions we will attempt to answer together … Evil spirits must be
dealt with. Prophetic utterances must be released. Many have
believed the commission is an evangelistic commission. Although
evangelism is an important part, the commission is essentially
apostolic, incorporating evangelism to fulfill it. Sent ones do more
than evangelize. Sent ones preach, teach, prophesy and do the
works of Jesus.” John Eckhardt
[Wagner wrote about Eckhardt and the book they wrote together – “I
certainly will require it of my Fuller Seminary students. I want them to
get to know my good friend John Eckhardt. I want many of them to
say, ‘John Eckhardt is my role model for ministry today.’ I am gratified
that a rapidly growing number of leaders are now beginning to move
in the apostolic gift and the apostolic office.” Because of the influence
Thinking About Unity 37
Eckhardt had on Peter Wagner as early as the 1970s, we’ll look at
some of Eckhardt’s beliefs and teaching to see what influence he had
on the NAR.]
Presbyteries and Apostolic Teams (Crusader Ministries, 2000)
“Apostolic teams give the Church the ability to expand beyond the
local borders and touch the nations. Presbyteries enable the
Church to be governed properly. Both are essential in helping the
Church fulfill its mission of impacting regions, territories, and
nations.” Publisher Description
Identifying And Breaking Curses (Whitaker House, 2000)
“Although the Word of God teaches that we are already healed by
the stripes of Jesus (Isaiah 53:5), there are many believers who
have not appropriated this promise and continue to battle with
sickness. This is because healing is a part of our redemption, but
it is not automatic.
Again, according to the Word of God, we are healed by the stripes
of Jesus. However, though every believer has been legally
redeemed from sickness, there are still many sick believers. Just
because one is a believer does not make one exempt from
sickness. It is possible for a believer to be sick even with healing
being a part of our redemption.
Unfortunately, there are still many believers living under curses
even though they have been legally redeemed from curses. Just
Thinking About Unity 38
as a believer may have to fight a good fight of faith for healing, he
or she may also have to fight a good fight of faith against curses.
So the answer to the question, ‘Can a believer be under a curse”’
is, ‘Legally, no; but experientially, yet.’
This is to say, Satan may not have a legal right to enforce a curse
against you, but he is an outlaw and will attempt to do so anyway.
Therefore, curses oftentimes have to be broken over the lives of
believers, and the believers must learn how to stand in faith
against those curses, keeping them from operating in their lives.
The promises in the Word are not automatic. They must be
believed and often fought for. You don’t have to fight God for His
promises; He is not keeping them back from you. But you must
contend with the Adversary who is trying to prevent you from
receiving and walking in God’s promises.
So if you are a believer and you are experiencing the symptoms
of a curse, you will have to be loosed from it before you will be
able to walk in the full blessings of the Lord.” John Eckhardt
Demon Hit List (Whitaker House, 2000)
“Since identifying and uncovering demons by name is so
important in deliverance, the idea to write a deliverance thesaurus
is well overdue. Demons congregate in ‘groupings,’ and knowing
how they linkup is invaluable to the deliverance worker. This
thesaurus will help the worker identify the names of different
Thinking About Unity 39
spirits, and also group spirits together to ‘cluster’ within people
seeking deliverance. It will also be a handy reference book that
the deliverance worker can refer to from time to time that will
hopefully be a storehouse of information that will help destroy the
works of the Devil.
Mark 5:9 gives us a key revelation in dealing with the Enemy.
Jesus commanded the spirit to identify itself by name. Once the
Enemy identified himself, Jesus cast him out. This is the power of
identification. Identifying the Enemy can identify the Enemy by
name, the more successful they will be in driving the Enemy out.”
John Eckhardt
[Eckhardt lists individual names of demonic spirits – e.g. Abaddon
(Apollyon), Abandonment, Abdomen, Abnormal, Abomination,
Abortion, Absalom, Abuse, Accident, Accusation, Addiction, Adultery,
etc – then includes a section called “Demons Attacking the Physical
Body” taken from A Manual for the Deliverance Worker by Frank
Marzullo and Tom Snyder – “Evil spirits often dwell in certain parts of
the body” – Physical areas mentioned include – Abdominal Area and
Pelvis, Bones, Neck, Back & Joints, Chest Area, Ears, Eyes, Head,
Mouth, Navel, Nose, Spine, Throat, Stomach, Hands, Tongue (taste
buds), etc. Eckhardt, Marzullo and Snyder believe that demonic
spirits cause malfunction and problems in various areas of the body
(e.g. liver, spleen, heart, lungs, spine, nervous system, bone marrow)
causing all diseases (e.g. cancer, tumors, cysts, pain, crippling,
strokes, heart attacks, arthritis, bursitis, multiple sclerosis, blindness,
Thinking About Unity 40
crossed eyes, cataracts, glaucoma, emphysema, brain damage,
blood clots, epilepsy, meningitis, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease,
psychoses of all kinds, frustration, paranoia, phobias, forgetfulness,
procrastination, fear, worry, anxiety, stress, migraines, nightmares,
suicide, tooth decay, cavities, canker sores, loss of taste, bad breath,
stuttering, addiction, gluttony, bloody nose, postnasal drip, sinusitis,
polyps, colds, viruses, thyroid disorders, goiters, laryngitis, swollen
glands, palsy, etc) and that knowing the names of demonic spirits and
where they are located in physical areas give the “worker” knowledge
which will lead to casting the demonic demons out of the body and
restoring health to body and mind.]
Prayers That Rout Demons: Prayers for Defeating Demons and
Overthrowing the Power of Darkness (Charisma House, 2007)
“Prayer is one of the ways we release the will of God upon the
earth … Words are used to convey our thoughts. The words of
God are the thoughts of God. We are releasing the mind of God
when we pray and confess His word. The thoughts of God are
peace and prosperity … We can bind the works of darkness,
which include: sickness, disease, hurt, witchcraft, poverty, death,
destruction, confusion, defeat, and discouragement. We can loose
ourselves and others from the works of darkness. This will result
in greater liberty and prosperity. Binding and loosing will help us in
the area of deliverance. We can loose ourselves from many things
by using our authority. We can loose others by praying these
prayers.” John Eckhardt
Thinking About Unity 41
God Still Speaks: How to Hear and Receive Revelation from God for
Your Family, Church, and Community (Charisma House, 2009)
“It is clear that the new covenant God established with Israel and
Judah includes knowing the Lord. All believers, from the least of
us to the greatest, can have the blessing of knowing God through
the Holy Spirit. This includes knowing and recognizing the voice of
the Lord. When we use the term prophecy, we are simply referring
to hearing the voice of the Lord and speaking His word to others.
In other words, every believer has the opportunity to operate in
the prophetic realm. Every believer should expect to hear the
voice of God. This is because each of us is a new covenant
believer. The foundation of the new covenant is the basis for
developing your prophetic life.
Every believer should expect to speak as the oracle of God. The
key is to develop this ability intentionally. It will not happen
automatically. Some believers have doubts about whether God
will speak to them. Others can hear His word, but they struggle
with speaking out on the behalf of God. All of us need more faith
in order to flow in prophecy. Each of us must believe what the
Word of God says and then act on it. It is true: God wants every
single person to be a prophet.” John Eckhardt
[Eckhardt also shares in his book “prophetic exercises” to develop
believers. They include “warm-up” activation where a team leader
selects a minister who will prophesy to the circle member directly to
Thinking About Unity 42
his left or right. The circle member who received the prophesy then
turns to the circle member on his/her other side and prophesies to
them. Other “exercises” include everyone in the prophetic circle
taking a turn prophesying to a single circle member. These exercises
“jump start” people in the prophetic circle into “flowing with the spirit
of prophecy” and “will also demonstrate the flow of a prophetic
presbytery.” Eckhardt shared many other prophetic exercises,
including Switch/change, See a picture, Write what you hear, Group
prophecy, The blind prophet, Sing a prophecy, Give a word of
knowledge, Impart your gift, Popcorn, and Prophesy Scripture
verses.]
Prayers That Break Curses: Prayers for Breaking Demonic Influences
so You Can Walk in God’s Promises (Charisma House, 2009)
“Many of the curses that can affect a person’s life come as a
result of one of the most wicked and vile spirits in the kingdom of
darkness—the spirit of Belial.
He is a ruling spirit of wickedness. There is a host of demons that
operate under his command, cursing the lives of people, which we
will discuss in this book … Belial’s work is to curse men and
women, causing them to commit sins that are vile and
contemptible. All sin is wrong, and I don’t make any excuses or
allowance for any sin. However, there are some sins more
abominable than others. That is, there are different degrees of sin.
Under the Law, there were some sins that were considered
Thinking About Unity 43
‘abominations’ and punishable by death, while other sins required
certain sacrifices. Belial’s work is to draw a national into such
abominable sins that it will bring the curse and the judgment of
God.
When I observe the practices and sins that are happening in our
national today, I know that the spirit of Belial is behind them. Belial
is a strongman in America as well as other nations of the world.
Belial is a world ruler of wickedness. Jesus taught us the
necessity of binding the strongman in order to spoil his goods
(Matt. 12:29). The prayers in this book are meant to do just that—
as you pray, Belial, the world ruler of wickedness, will be bound,
and his demonic hold on you and on your family and community
will be broken.” John Eckhardt
Prayers That Bring Change: Power-Filled Prayers that Give Hope,
Health Relationships, Bring Financial Freedom and More! (Charisma
house, 2009, written with Kimberly Daniels – Overseer of Spoken
Word Ministries)
“Use the authority God has given you to move to the next level in
your prayer life with this collection of proclamation prayers by
best-selling author Kimberly Daniels. More than just a book on
how to pray, Prayers That Bring Change is filled with actual
prayers based on biblical principles that will help you live
victoriously in every situation you face. Learn to break the powers
of darkness and release the blessings and favor of God in your
life.” Publisher Description
Thinking About Unity 44
Prayers That Rout Demons and Break Curses (Charisma House,
2010)
“This bonded leather compendium combines the two best-selling
books by John Eckhardt in the Spiritual Prayers series, Prayers
That Rout Demons and Prayers That Break Curses. This is a
powerful, handy reference tool that enables the reader to access
Scripture-based prayers and decrees to overcome demonic
influence and opposition. This book includes warfare prayers for
every circumstance, including avoiding Satan’s attack in the areas
of finances, pride, rebellion, relationships, healing, and demonic
bondages. With the resources in this book, readers will break the
powers of darkness and release the blessings and favor of God in
their lives.” Publisher Description
Prayers That Bring Healing: Overcome Sickness, Pain, and Disease.
God’s Healing is for You! (Charisma House, 2010)
“Too often God’s people do not receive miracles and healing
because they do not place a demand on the anointing. They don’t
push forward because they don’t expect that something
miraculous will happen.
Sometimes believers let themselves get discouraged. Let me tell
you this: Don’t let the devil talk you out of your healing. Put your
mind on God. You have to press through discouragement and
frustration so that you don’t miss your miracle. Don’t let anyone
stop you … Healing is available to all during the kingdom age …
Thinking About Unity 45
God does not put sickness on His people. Jesus died so that we
might be healed … we can expect to live in health and to be
healed of all our diseases because of what Jesus did on the cross
... This is the kingdom age where you don’t have to be sick, broke,
or run over by the devil. That is GOOD NEWS! You don’t have to
be sick, broke, poor, or confused any longer. Sickness and
disease are works of the devil, and Jesus came and ‘disarmed
principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them,
triumphing over them’ (Col. 2:15). Healing comes with the
territory. When you are in Christ, you can expect to be healed ...
not only should you expect to be healed, but you should also
know that you are to pass that healing on to all those around you.
That is true kingdom living.” John Eckhardt
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Power: Be Activated to Heal, Deliver,
Prophesy, Preach, and Demonstrate God’s Kingdom (Charisma
House, 2010)
“There is no substitute for the apostle’s ministry. We need
apostles in each generation, just like we need evangelists,
pastors, and teachers. When emerging apostles do not replace
founding apostles, the church is in trouble. This cycle of
deterioration has occurred in almost every movement and
denomination. This is because of a lack of understanding
concerning apostolic ministry.
I believe that God always provides the gifts that we need in order
to fulfill our destinies. It is not the will of God that movements start
Thinking About Unity 46
out with great power and momentum, only to shrivel up and die
after one generation. The apostolic gift is the key to continuous
advancement and momentum. There is always another
generation of apostles that should be in position to replace the
founding apostles.
When an organization or church becomes administrative at the
expense of being apostolic, apostolic gifts are often choked out.
This is because apostolic gifts tend to be too progressive,
pioneering, and advancing for many organizations. Some would
identify this as rebellion, but usually it is a desire to keep the
group moving forward and walking in present truth.
However, the church faces an unfortunate situation when
administration takes over the apostolic, because the very gifts that
churches need to advance are usually lost due to the
organizational constraints placed upon them. This happened in
the early church when bishops replaced apostles. The church
became more ceremonial and traditional. The apostolic power and
grace of the church in the Book of Acts was lost. The Reformation
of the sixteenth century began to change this. The reformers,
however, failed to restore the proper role of the apostle. Many
Reformation churches kept the Episcopal (bishops) form of
government. We are now seeing the restoration of apostles to
their proper role in the church.” John Eckhardt
[Eckhardt gave the “school of the prophets” mentioned in 1
Samuel 19 and 2 Kings 2 and 4 as an example of how “Apostolic
Thinking About Unity 47
churches should develop prophetic schools to train believers in
the proper flow of prophecy and prophetic ministry.”]
Prayers that Release Heaven On Earth: Align Yourself with God and
Bring His Peace, Joy and Revival to Your World (Charisma House,
2010)
“God has a marvelous plan for His church, a plan that will help
release heaven on earth. The prophets predicted a time when
salvation, righteousness, peace, joy, rejoicing, and redemption will
come to Israel and the world. Jerusalem (Ziion) will be restored
and once again become the dwelling place of God. The heathen
(nations) will come to the God of Israel and worship. It will be a
time of the establishing of an everlasting covenant (new
covenant). God’s plans are for a time when old things (former
things) pass away and new things spring forth. There will be an
outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the release of living waters from
Jerusalem, which will flow to the nations.
It is time for God’s people to get on board with God’s plan and to
diligently pray—and work—to see the fulfillment of God’s plan for
His church.” John Eckhardt
Prayers that Activate Blessings: Experience the Protection, Power &
Favor of God for You & Your Loved Ones (Charisma House, 2011)
“God will not only save you and wash you, but He will also bless
you, dress you up, put jewels on you, and beautify you. The grace
and favor of God on your life will cause you to go into a place of
Thinking About Unity 48
prosperity. God not only will save you but will also multiply you
and bless you.
In this book we are going to talk about how to obtain the covenant
blessing of God. We are going to learn confessions and prayers
based on God’s Word that will activate shalom over your life.
Death and life are in the power of the tongue. We can choose
blessing by choosing to live and speak correctly.
God is ready to release new favor, blessing, prosperity,
protection, and peace over you. It is His desire to give you good
things. Now get ready to receive them.” John Eckhardt
Daily Declarations for Spiritual Warfare: Biblical Principles to Defeat
the Devil (Charisma House, 2011, written in first person from God’s
perspective)
“Do you hate every false way that Satan uses to sidetrack people
from the path of life onto the path of death? Do you want to see
changes in your city, region, and nation? I have given you the
power to represent My kingdom and to even change geographic
regions. You are a king in My kingdom, and your word in filled
with authority and power against the kingdoms of this evil world.
Stand firm in the power I have given you. Don’t suffer
unnecessarily by failing to exercise your authority in Me.” John
Eckhardt
Thinking About Unity 49
The Invisible King and His Kingdom: How to Understand, Operate In,
and Advance God’s Will for Healing, Deliverance, and Miracles
(Charisma House, 2011)
“Jesus came to announce the year of the Lord’s favor, or the year
of jubilee (Luke 4:18-19; Lev. 25:8-25). In the year of jubilee, land
is restored, debts are canceled, and slaves are released. The
kingdom is our jubilee. When you come into the kingdom, you
enter into rest and receive favor. As a result of the kingdom,
shame, ruin, confusion, sickness, death, poverty, bondage,
oppression, sadness, defeat, humiliation, sin, iniquity, cursing,
fear, lack, and barrenness would be banished … As believers we
are positioned with Him in His kingdom, and we have been
instructed to spread the news of His kingdom wherever we go,
that others may choose to be a part of His kingdom also.” John
Eckhardt
Prayers that Move Mountains: Powerful Prayers that Bring Answers
from Heaven (Charisma House, 2012)
“What mountain are you facing in this season of life?
Unemployment? Financial problems? Difficult marriage? Illness?
Foreclosure? Undefeated sin? Whatever it is, the power lies in
you to speak to that mountain and say, ‘Be thou removed!’
The keys to deliverance, freedom, and the abundant life have
been given back to us. Jesus came to return to us our authority in
the earth so that we can exercise prayer and faith to bring God’s
Thinking About Unity 50
will from the heavenly realms into the earthly realm, affecting our
lives in the here and now.
The Bible says that you can decree and declare things with your
mouth, and they will happen (Rom. 4:17). According to Joshua
1:8, you have the power to make your way prosperous, to mow
down the mountains in your way. By meditating and obeying the
Word of God, you put yourself in a place of life and blessings.
Choice is where your power lies. What you choose to speak and
declare needs to coincide with how you live and what you
meditate on.” John Eckhardt
Prayers that Release Heaven and Move Mountains (Charisma
House, 2012)
“Leather-bound compendium contains material from John Eckhardt’s best-selling series.
This special edition combines message from Prayers That
Release Heaven on Earth and Prayers That Move Mountains.
Prayers That Release Heaven on Earth is a handbook for
advancing the kingdom of God here and now. Combining powerful
prayers with decrees taken from Scripture, it helps you
understand God's plan and keeps your heart and mind focused on
Him.
Prayers That Move Mountains is filled with prayers of
submission, repentance, confession, obedience, praise, and
worship. Based on 2 Chronicles 7:14–15.” Publisher Description
Thinking About Unity 51
Women’s Daily Declarations for Spiritual Warfare: Biblical Principles
to Defeat the Devil (Charisma House, 2013 … Written to women in
first person from God)
“Have you become disillusioned and discouraged because of the
wickedness and corruption that exist all around you in this sinful
world? Don’t you know that I want to give you the keys to My
kingdom in heaven? Not even hell itself will be able to prevail
against My kingdom. With the keys to My kingdom, I have given
you authority to bind and loose. You will be able to restrict, stop,
hinder, fetter, check, hold back, arrest, and put a stop to the
demonic strongholds in your world. You can use the keys of My
kingdom to lock up sickness and disease, hurt, witchcraft, poverty,
death, destruction, confusion, defeat, and discouragement in your
life. By doing that you will loose yourself—and others—from the
works of darkness, the works of Satan. Always remember that I
have given My daughters—you—power and authority over all
devils.” John Eckhardt
Deliverance and Spiritual Warfare Manual: A Comprehensive Guide
to Living Free (Charisma House, 2014)
“You can have a good life. This book will give you the tools and
weapons you need to command good days in your life to be at
peace and full of blessing and prosperity. You will be fortified and
empowered to speak blessing and prosperity over your neighbors,
your troubled family members, and your coworkers. You will then
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not only have peace in your life, but you will also become a
peacemaker.
Prosperous people are peaceful people. They are blessed. They
have more than enough. They love and see good days. They are
citizens of the heavenly kingdom of God because they have been
redeemed from the curses of sin and death.
The Lord has also commanded peace and rest toward you. He
has established the victory for you over all the powers of the
enemy. Demons are enemies. They are enemies of peace, joy,
health, and prosperity. Deliverance will give you rest, and spiritual
warfare will give you the training, strategies, and endurance so
that you can continue to live abundantly under the covenant
blessings of God.” John Eckhardt
God’s Covenant with You for Deliverance and Freedom: Come Into
Agreement With Him and Unlock His Power (Charisma House, 2014)
“Deliverance out of trouble is a form of God’s mercy being
enacted because of covenant. If it wasn’t for the mercy of God,
every covenant violation that we commit today would cause us to
be destroyed. Our actions outside of God’s plans for our lives put
us in violation of the covenant and opens us up to all kinds of evil
and torment from the enemy.
The covenant provides certain benefits, including protection and
deliverance. People living outside the covenant do not have these
benefits and therefore are susceptible to the work of the enemy.
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Sin is an open door for demons, and those who do not enjoy the
benefits of redemption and forgiveness are more susceptible to
demonic intrusion into their lives. Those who walk in covenant
enjoy the blessing of forgiveness from sin, and the operation of
demons is limited and hindered.” John Eckhardt
God’s Covenant With You for Life and Favor: Come Into Agreement
with Him and Unlock His Power (Charisma House, 2015)
“The gospel is that Jesus Christ came and died so that you could
experience the shalom of God. The chastisement—the price—of
our peace was upon Him. He was beaten and crucified so that we
could have peace. All who believe and come under the rule of the
Messiah can have peace.
You can have prosperity and live in safety, and all the evil beasts
will be driven from your life. You will not be tormented by devils.
You will have the blessing of God. It’s the guarantee of His
covenant of peace. It belongs to the saints of God. So no matter
how bad the news gets, don’t let the devil take your peace and
your shalom away from you.” John Eckhardt
Prophet, Arise: Your Call to Boldly Speak the Word of the Lord
(Charisma House, 2015)
“At the end of November and the beginning of December 2014 the
Lord began to stir my heart to release His word of encouragement
and confirmation to the many prophets who have been silenced
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and shut down in their local churches. So during this time on my
Facebook page I began posting statuses on prophets day after
day. What I began writing was not planned. It was not something
written down ahead of time. It just began to flow from my heart. As
a result, I have received thousands of likes and comments from
people around the world saying how they have been touched.
Some have received healing and release as they read the
statuses. The Lord told me to keep pouring out the oil as long as
there were vessels receiving, so I will continue until it stops.” John
Eckhardt
Unshakeable: Dismantling Satan’s Plan to Destroy Your Foundation
(2015)
“The majority of double-minded people manage to function in life
and have some successes, yet they still have the characteristics
of a spirit of schizophrenia. This causes them to be constantly
unstable in every area, never having any peace about who they
are or what they can or have to accomplish. They may not always
go to a place of insanity that the world describes as
schizophrenia.
This revelation of double-mindedness and schizophrenia came to
the forefront through the ministry of Frank and Ida Mae
Hammond, pioneers in the area of deliverance and authors of the
classic book on deliverance Pigs in the Parlor. I had the honor of
ministering with Frank Hammond and found him to be a humble
and gracious servant of the Lord. Before Frank passed away, I
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asked him to lay hands on me and impart. I believe I received an
impartation, and a passion to teach on this subject and see
people set free.” John Eckhardt
“We all know people who sometimes act in polar opposites: the
minister who is godly, prayerful, and holy at times, yet has periods
of sin and perversion; the person who is outgoing and cheerful,
yet falls into bouts of withdrawal and depression; or the person
who is gentle and kind, yet has periods of outburst and rage.
Unshakeable is a teaching unlike any other from best-selling
author John Eckhardt on breaking the most binding, demonic
force: double-mindedness. Through this powerful book you will
develop a firm, Christlike identity that will not be easily shaken by
this world. You will learn how to overcome the manifestations of
double-mindedness that result in:
• Broken marriages and divorce
• Indecision and passivity
• Bitterness and anger
• Hurt and offense
• Fear and rejection
• Spiritually rooted sickness and disease
• And much more!” Publisher Description
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The Deliverance Topical Bible (CreateSpace Independent Publishing
Platform, 2015)
“There are numerous scriptures on deliverance. The large number
shows us the importance deliverance is given in the Word of God.
This Topical Bible is a handy reference tool for those who desire
to meditate and familiarize themselves with the subject of
deliverance.” John Eckhardt
The Prosperity Topical Bible (CreateSpace Independent Publishing
Platform, 2016)
“Prosperity is an important subject to study because it is God’s will
that his children prosper … The key scripture for The Prosperity
Topical Bible is Psalms 35:27 – ‘Let them shout for joy, and be
glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say
continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the
prosperity of his servant. God takes pleasure in the prosperity of
his servants.” John Eckhardt
Fasting for Breakthrough and Deliverance (Charisma House, 2016)
“You’ve commanded, rebuked, prayed prayers, done warfare, and
shouted, but there’s more that needs to be broken off your life. It’s
time to add some fasting to your warfare strategy. There is no
other way around some demonic strongholds. No shortcuts. You
have to fast and humble yourself until that thing breaks and
leaves your life.
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Demons are different in terms of their wickedness. There are
demons that are stronger, more wicked, unclean, and stubborn,
and higher in rank, ability, and intelligence. The longer a demon
has been in your family or in your life, the harder it is to remove
because its roots go very deep. Demons such as rebellion, pride,
witchcraft, Jezebel, poverty, and lack may only come out with a
high level of faith ... When you fast the anointing increases in your
life because you are so into the Spirit. The authority of God,
power of God, and faith of God comes alive when you lay aside
some things and fast. You will find yourself getting stronger and
stronger. Shouting doesn’t do it. It is the anointing that does it.”
John Eckhardt
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The NAR at the Beginning of the 21st Century
Peter Wagner claimed at the Arise Prophetic Conference in San
Jose, California in 2004 that, “The second apostolic age began in the
year 2001.” Wagner said that was the year God restored the lost
offices of prophet and apostle to the Church –
“I hope it’s convincingly, that 2001 marks, is the year that marks
the second apostolic age, which means for years the government
of the church had not been in place since about, you know, the
first century or so. It doesn’t mean weren’t apostles and prophets,
because the government of the … the foundation of the church
according to Ephesians 2:20 is apostles and prophets, Jesus
being the chief cornerstone. It doesn’t mean there weren’t
apostles and prophets, it means the body of Christ hadn’t
recognized them and released them for the office that they had so
that they’d function as apostles and prophets in the foundation of
the church. But we now have that, I believe we’ve reached our
critical mass in the year 2001. Now I’m concentrating on apostles
in this teaching, not so much prophets, you’ve got a couple more
prophets coming on the scene here. But here’s the thing. If God
gave apostles to the church, which He definitely did, ok, and I
don’t have to convince anyone at Gateway that He gave apostles
to the church, but here is my point. If He gave them to the church
as the government of the church, He must have given them both
to the nuclear church and to the extended church. Now, the thing
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is, I’ve written five books on apostles already, and all my books,
with the exception of a mention, maybe a paragraph, the
substance of every one of my books has been on apostles in the
nuclear church. I haven’t written a book on apostles in the
extended church. So, this is new. I know Rich Marshall, he’s
from here in San Jose, he’s now writing a book on the marks of a
workplace apostle, it hasn’t been published yet. And so, we’ll find
out what these characteristics of workplace apostles are very
soon, but all I’m saying is the first step toward finding out is to
know that they’re there. See, because that church, the
government of that church, needs to be set in place. And the
problem is that like a lot of you, you know, all you have to do is
join a church and within the first six weeks you find out that where
you are in the workplace you’re salt and light, see? You all know
you’re salt and light. Everybody knows they’re salt and light,
that’s a common thing. But I tell you what, some of you have
been out in the workplace, you know you’re salt and light, you
don’t have to be persuaded you are, but you’ve been out in the
workplace for fifteen years and everything’s just the same.
Nothing’s changed. But you’re salt and light. Why hasn’t
anything changed? I tell you why, it’s not because you’re not
legitimate servants of God, but it’s because you’re out in the
workplace different from where you are on Sunday and Sunday is
very important, whether you belong to Gateway, whether you
belong to a Presbyterian church, whether you belong to Jubilee,
on Sunday, when the church is gathered it’s very important that
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you belong to… who’s your pastor, who takes care of your small
groups and all, that’s very important. But I tell you what, once
everybody in all the church gets out into the workplace together,
how important is it? What church do you go to on Sunday? It’s
not very important at all. What’s important is that you’re the
people of God out there, you’re representing the kingdom of God,
and you know this, but nothing has happened because the
government of the church has not come into place. See, the
problem is, is that Satan has had too much of his way in our
society because he has a government! And the only way to
overthrow a government is with a government. It won’t happen
otherwise. So therefore the government of the church has to get
into place in the extended church just like we do have it very well
in place, we haven’t reached our goal yet, but it’s very well
established in the nuclear church.” Transcript of C. Peter Wagner,
Arise Prophetic Conference, Gateway Church, San Jose, CA, 10-
10-2004 (Transcript by Sandy Simpson)
[Wagner mentioned that Rich Marshall was writing about “workplace
apostles.” Marshall published God@Work: Discovering the Anointing
for Business in 2005. He wrote about a new breed of ministers
emerging in the world marketplace who are “called of God to make
money—a lot of it.” That concept is part of what Wagner calls the
Seven Mountain Mandate that we’ll look at later in this series.]
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We saw that Peter Wagner emphasized apostles, prophets, signs
and wonders, warfare prayer, prayer shields, breaking strongholds,
confronting the power, territorial spirits, spiritual mapping, third wave
and healthy church during the end of the 20th century, prior to the
official start of the “second apostolic age.” Based on Wagner’s own
emphasis of 2001 as the year when God ushered in the new age of
apostles, of which Wagner was a primary apostolic leader, what
would Wagner emphasize at the beginning of the 21st century? If
Wagner is truly an “apostle” of God, given the definition of what he
says an apostle is today, what Wagner has revealed in his writings